Deer in the Suburbs

Our first morning at my parents house, in Suwanee, Ga (NE Atlanta) we had a wonderful treat. I walked out onto the deck while I was talking to Lee on the phone and got the sweetest little surprise. My parents deck is about 10 ft off the ground and as I stood at the railing, I looked down to see a teeny tiny little baby deer curled up in a little circle, sleeping. I called the children out to see her and before I could get back with a camera my dad (the biggest kid of them all) was down petting her, which (of course) was an open invitation for the kids to follow suit.

Of course, I'm really no better than the kids. I was so taken with her that I  scooped her up for a closer snuggle.

I told Lee that I wanted to keep her. He asked "What would you do with a pet deer?" "I don't know," I replied "But I still want to keep her!"

We called the Chattahoochee Nature Reserve and asked them what we should do. They said this was their third call of the morning (8:30 am) already! They said that mamma deer usually leave their babies for several hours at a time. They said that based on the fact that she let us touch her, she was probably 5 days old or less!  day They also said the mamma probably felt that our yard was a safe place. So, they instructed us to wipe her down with a damp cloth to remove our scent and to leave her alone, that the mamma would return. She was so so sweet. Her little hooves were still a little soft and her knees were wobbly. When she first stood up I was sure she was going to topple right over.

When we finally managed to tear ourselves away from her, she actually tried to follow us up the stairs!

I couldn't stop taking pictures. She was such a beautiful miracle, living proof of our Father in Heaven's love for us. It was the perfect start to our vacation. The only thing that was missing was our Dad!

I Think It Was Worth The Pain

Two posts ago I reported on Cooper's painful biting experience with his cute little friend, Yi  Hung (pronounced YEE HUNG). 

Yi Hung's sweet momma brought us some lovely fruit, which was delicious.

I thought that the fruit gifting was the end of the biting incident. Really, kids are kids. Stuff happens. Kids move on... I'm pretty laid back and hold no grudges. Yi Hung is way too cute to dislike :). Today I came home from a day out on the town with the kids to discover that the biting incident was far from over. Much to my amazement and embarrassment, Yi Hung's parents had delivered the following reconciliatory gift:

Seriously? Beautiful little toy laptop that teaches English and Chinese. I can't imagine how much it cost; it even has a mouse that plugs in and a stylus. Wow! I immediately asked our housekeeper what the proper etiquette would be. How should I respond to such a gift? What is the proper Chinese custom? Her response was "Nothing, they have a lot of money. They own several houses. Don't do anything." Of course, my proper (achemm) Southern upbringing would not allow for such non-response. I immediately did what any self-respecting Southern woman would do in such a similar situation. Three hours later we delivered homemade crescent rolls with homemade strawberry jam delicately wrapped in pink fabric, then placed in a little basket. I hope it conveys the message that we still love little Yi Hung :). We are learning new things everyday!

On a side note, I learned today that if you invite guests to sleep at your house, and if you offer them your bed to sleep in, the guests MUST leave money after spending the night. This money (if I understood correctly) is to welcome in good luck and good fortune to the home. Interesting! My housekeeper and our neighbor's housekeeper gave me this cultural lesson this afternoon, while we were waiting for the bread to rise. We love our housekeeper, Ying, and while I won't claim to dislike all the wonderful cooking and cleaning she does, we mostly keep her around for all the amazing Mandarin she teaches us and for the cultural insights that I could never get on my own.

Bathtime Fun - Cannon Style!

Not too much to tell about today. Eve and I went to the hospital to have her eyes tested. We had to put drops in her eyes at home to dilate them and then went in to have it checked. As it turns out, she is borderline for needing glasses. So, we'll check back in three months to see how her eyes are.

We then picked up Ally and Cooper from home and went out to do some Father's Day shopping at the Fake Market. We picked out lots of fun gifts for dad and some awesome gifts for friends and family. We had lots of fun! The rest of our day was pretty uneventful. :) That's not a bad thing, necessarily.

To get Cooper off the computer (he's obsessed) I bribed him with a bath. Eve decided to jump in after I sent her in to check on him. Here's what I found after she never came back:

No wonder she went in and never came out! (I should mention that I did NOT put any bubble bath in the tub. The little sneaky sneak used shampoo!)

Just a few minutes later, I answered a quiet knocking on our front door. Our sweet neighbor (the mother of Cooper's little biting friend) brought over some fruit for us to try. I didn't quite understand everything she said, but I think it was a friendly gesture to compensate for yesterday's biting incident.

I'm not sure what they are called, but they taste a lot like blackberries. They have a small pit in the center and taste great with sugar and cream (yes, we immediately westernized it!).

Yummy!

Just a Normal Wednesday

Today was a nice quiet Wednesday. Today was Dragon Festival Day and almost all of China took a day off for holiday.... except Lee, of course. That poor man had to go to work when almost everyone else was sleeping in and relaxing! Here are a few things that we did today:

• Decluttered Ally's Room (No small task) Here's the trash from her room.

• Decluttered Eve's Room (Remarkably easier) This is a considerably smaller amount of trash, although it's hard to tell. 
• Went out to lunch with dad, who managed to get off work by lunch time!
• Took the electric scooter to the little repair shop, where we got a new tire and inner tube installed for $11.
• Took the car into the repair shop, where we got a new tire. Not nearly as cheap!

• Dad relaxed in the office.
• Dad got a nap.
• Mom worked on her blog.
• Kids played on the computer and roller bladed all over the house.

• Cooper's little friend next door bit him. Sadly, that is NOT lipstick!
• Mom made dinner.
• Kids did dishes.
• I'm still sick, so Diet Coke is off my menu.... so let's add a headache to the list!

It was a good day. 

What Happens When Mom's Sick For A Week

My kids are such troopers. School got out on Thursday, June 10th and, of course, that's the day that I got sick. They have been so patient and so wonderful about helping me rest and taking good care of their mom. It can get kind of boring, hanging around the house all day with a sick mom. My kiddos made their own lunches, or got Ying to help where necessary. They entertained themselves Saturday. When I finally dragged myself downstairs to catch a taxi to the doctor (Lee had to work), I found tents made of blankets and sheets scattered about the house. I smiled at the kids and was so happy they could take care of themselves more or less.

Cooper was given a pair of hand me down roller blades (we love seconds!). He just recently became OBSESSED with his new skates. Given that our house is wall to wall marble and wood floor, the kids have a pretty good route for skating and riding scooters and wave boards. Here are a few fun pictures of what happens when mom is sick for a week!

The kids' computer is in the kitchen, so we can monitor what's going on. You can't see it very well, but all three are on the computer and at least two of them are wearing roller blades.

Eve had the grand idea to take some bubble wrap they had discovered early and put it on the ground to skate over. Three sets of roller blades make quite a ruckus flying over bubble wrap! I couldn't get a great shot of Ally and Eve because they were going too fast!

What could be better than roller blades in the house AND bubble wrap? Add in a noodle for extra whacking power!

Gastroenteritis

Day 1 Thursday 


6:25: Woke up, got my kiddos ready for their triumphant last day of school. Took Cooper to school, went to the gym where I attempted to work out. Only 5 minutes into the stationary bike I couldn't figure out why I was so tired. I switched to weights and some light yoga. 


10:30 Arrived at the kids school, hung out for an hour and watch the end of school festivities.We drove back into town (school is 30 minutes out on the outskirts of Shanghai) and had lunch at Subway.


12:30 Arrived home, where I crawled into bed, feeling tired but still not knowing why. Lee called and we argued on the phone about the most trivial matter. I didn't realize until later that I was sick, which makes me cranky and unreasonable.


1:30: Crawled out of bed with chills and a fever. Insisted on getting everyone's opinion on whether or not I was hot. Crawled back into bed, insisting that even if they didn't think I had a fever, I knew I did! 


3:30: Woke up covered in sweat, ran to the bathroom. Hershey Squirts!!!!
The rest of day 1 was a big repeat of the last two time entries... You know how when you have a fever, everyone has to know you are sick and agree that you are burning up... Ok, maybe everyone isn't like that, maybe I am just a sucker for attention!


Day 2 Friday


8:30: Woke up thinking Thursday was just an off day. Breakfast went down ok, but didn't taste right...


9:30: Eve, Cooper and I met at Tracey Butters house. She was kind enough to go with us to the Children's Hospital to teach us how to navigate the maze of socialized medicine in China. Eve needs glasses, so we went to see the opthamalogist. I was very thankful for Tracey's help. She had to leave about halfway through, but we managed to figure it all out. 


11:00: Returned home, feeling tired and still not great. Hershey Squirts persisted. I was thankful when Ying showed up at noon to take over the shift. I spent the rest of the day in bed, painful gas, yucky fever, achy body. NOT GOOD!


Day 3 Saturday


Lee had to work. I was grumpy and still feeling awful. Diarrhea for 3 days in a row was getting old! Fever for three days, COME ON!!! I finally decided it was time to go to the doctor. I called the clinic and much to my dismay, found that Dr. Annie Jiao was the only doctor with available appointments. Surprise, surprise. Disappointed, I told the receptionist I would rather lay in my sick bed for one more day than waste a trip to the doctor if Annie Jiao was the only doctor available. Much to my surprise (Chinese don't do sarcasm) she actually laughed. Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks so highly of Dr. Jiao's abilities. 


11:00: I ordered pizza for lunch. There was no way I was spending a minute on food preparation. 


11:30: I called the doctor's office back, deciding that even Dr. Jiao was better than nothing. Happily, they had cancellations and I was able to see a better doctor. Lee came home from work to watch the kids and help at home. 


2:30: Dr. Sally Harris examined me, deciding on gastroenteritis as my affliction. She also told me I was dehydrated and told me to drink 3 bottles of Gatorade before going to bed that night. I returned home, feeling validated, with such a fancy name for my illness, I must need and deserve lots of sympathy, right? So, Lee asks "What exactly is gastroenteritis?"... not really knowing what my very serious and complicated diagnosis actually meant, I looked it up. Uuuummmmmmm "Stomach Flu" was my uncomplicated, very basic and not so serious sounding answer.Didn't make me feel any less pathetic, just less entitled! I sent my little errand girls to the corner store, which is only a few minutes walk from our house, for Gatorade.


5:00: Two bottles of Gatorade later, my dizziness was gone, my painful joints no longer hurt, the pain in my back had disappeared and I actually came downstairs to visit with my kids for the first time in three days. Why hadn't I thought of Gatorade as a solution to my problems? Dehydration? Are you kidding me? $.75 later (drinks are dirt cheap here) I was (comparatively speaking) feeling like a million bucks.


7:30: Lee came home from taking the kids out to their favorite restaurant and I was actually ready to spend time with my kiddos. Wohoo for me! :)


What have I learned? Diet Coke, although by best friend in almost any situation, is not a good companion when you are sick. Staying hydrated makes all the difference in the world. Now if I can just get rid of the runs! Ha!

Confessions of a Slacker Mom

Several months ago I triumphantly declared our new and amazing scripture study and FHE habits. I proudly touted that Me and My Family were living righteously, following the light, standing tall.

I stand here today to admit before my beloved friends and family that I, Kitty Cannon, have fallen off the wagon. When did it happen, where did I go wrong? How could I stray so far from the straight and narrow? Where is my Iron Rod and why have I not held tightly to it? Oh, the woes of a fallen women.

As I sit before my computer, listening not to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but to the worldly strains of U2, I vow to do better. I commit to overcome and rejoin the flock. I WILL rededicate myself to my calling of mother and teacher. I WILL SURVIVE!!! (wait, that's not quite right is it?) :)

We are gonna pick ourselves up from the dusty ground upon which we've fallen and we are gonna make our way through the mists of darkness and start reading our scriptures again! We ARE going to have Family Home Evening this week!


Stay tuned for more from The Trials and Tribulations of a Fallen Mormon Mom.